Using extensive environmental experience to further progress company's sustainability efforts
BOSTON, Oct. 30, 2018 -- Sappi North America, Inc., a leading producer and supplier of diversified paper, packaging products and dissolving pulp, today announced the appointment of Alexander "Sandy" Taft as director of sustainability. Taft will work cross-functionally within Sappi's North American operations to drive sustainability strategy and execution. Taft will also work with counterparts in Sappi's European and South African offices to ensure consistency with global sustainability goals.
Taft joins Sappi from National Grid, a U.K.-headquartered energy delivery company, where he was most recently the Director of Environmental and Sustainability Policy for its U.S. subsidiary. He brings a strong background in U.S. energy and environmental policy, as well as a collaborative approach to global policy development.
"Sandy is the perfect addition to our sustainability team. His experience in developing sustainability policy and managing environmental compliance and permitting for air, solid waste and water provides a solid foundation for his new post at Sappi North America," said Jennifer Miller, chief business sustainability officer, Sappi North America. "Sappi has a strong foundation in and vision for sustainability, and we look forward to working together to drive the conversation, pursue these goals and set a strategy that continues to position Sappi as a leader in the industry."
Taft will also join the Two Sides North America Board of Directors as a member this fall. Two Sides is a non-profit, global initiative by companies from the graphic communications industry including forestry, pulp and paper, among others. The common goal of the organization is to promote the sustainability of the graphics communications industry and dispel common environmental misconceptions by providing users with verifiable information on why print and paper is an attractive, practical and sustainable communications medium. Two Sides is further committed to ensuring that print and paper remains a versatile, effective and powerful means of marketing and communication.
"I am very excited to join the Sappi North America team. I'm eager to dive into this new sector and learn more about how to responsibly manage natural resources, while leveraging my background in renewable energy as it applies to Sappi's business," said Taft. "By also joining the TwoSides board, I hope to make an impact on the industry as a whole as we work to position the paper industry as a viable, sustainable resource for graphic communications."
To learn more about Sappi North America's current sustainability efforts, please visit: www.sappi.com/sustainability-north-america.
To learn more about Sappi, please visit www.sappi.com.
About Sappi North America, Inc.
Sappi North America Inc., headquartered in Boston, is a market leader in converting wood fiber into superior products that customers demand worldwide. The success of our four diversified businesses – high quality Coated Graphic Papers, Dissolving Pulp, Packaging and Specialty Papers and Casting and Release Papers – is driven by strong customer relationships, best-in-class people and advantaged assets, products and services. Our high quality Coated Graphic Papers, including McCoy, Opus, Somerset, and Flo, are the key platform for premium magazines, catalogs, books, direct mail and high-end print advertising. We are a leading manufacturer of Dissolving Pulp with Verve, which is used in a wide range of products, including textile fibers and household goods. We deliver sustainable Packaging and Specialty Papers for luxury packaging and folding carton applications with our single-ply packaging brands, Spectro and Proto, and for the food and label industries with our specialty papers, LusterPrint and LusterCote. We are also one of the world's leading suppliers of Casting and Release Papers with our Ultracast, PolyEX, Classics and Neoterix lines for the automotive, fashion and engineered films industries. Customers rely on Sappi for high technical, operational and market expertise; products and services delivered with consistently high quality and reliability; and, state-of-the-art and cost-competitive assets and innovative spirit.
Sappi North America is a subsidiary of Sappi Limited (JSE), a global company headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, with more than 12,000 employees and manufacturing operations on three continents in seven countries and customers in over 150 countries.
